Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod (RD)
Kasargod, Jul 14: Seventy-five-year-old Dr Venkataraja Puninchittaya Bellur, renowned litterateur, multi-lingual scholar, and researcher passed away at his residence in Aitanadka on Friday July 13.
He was born to folk artist and Ayurveda Pandit Damodar Puninchattaya and his wife Saraswati on October 10, 1936. He was a post graduate in Kannada from Mysore University. He served as editor of ‘Viveka’, a monthly magazine that was published from Mysore.
Dr Bellur was the lexicon of Tulu dictionary and authored ‘Sri Bhagavato’ Tulu poetry to fill the void that Tulu has no script. He translated several books in Kannada and Tulu. Mangalore University awarded him an honorary doctorate.
He bagged several awards including the national top teacher award, Karavali Cultural Foundation Award, Tapasya Kala Sahitya Vedi Prasasti, Sandesha media award, Kayyara Kavya Prasasti, and Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy Award, in his lifetime.